Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

weezeralfalfa This minimally, if appropriately, titled western should not be confused with the John Wayne vehicle "The Cowboys". Both are worth a watch. The plot of both involves a 'coming of age' story involving a long trail drive. However "The Cowboys" involves a bunch of schoolboys as the sole hired cowboys, hence requiring an 's' on the word ending. The present film involves a grown man, with no ranch experience: an urbane front desk clerk at a large Chicago hotel, who has long dreamed of becoming a cowboy, but never landed an opportunity. Played by urbane Jack Lemmon, as Frank Harris, he finally gets his chance by a fluke in his unlikely relationship with trail boss Tom Reese(Glenn Ford), who is staying at that hotel after a long trail drive. Like most trail drive cowboys, Reese spends and loses his end-of-trail bonanza foolishly, providing an opening for Harris. For the remainder of the film, they function as reluctant buddies, until near the end, when they finally feel like real buddies. Should be considered a classic, in the same league as such long trail drive -themed films as "Red River" and "The Tall Men", for example. In fact, in most respects, it's even better than those films, with the romance aspect the weakest. In fact, THIS MIGHT JUST BE MY FAVORITE WESTERN! Glen Ford isn't really my favorite actor, but he's great here. He and Lemmon play off each other really well. One of the funniest scenes is the look on the face of Harris's former boss at the Chicago hotel where he used to work, when he comes strolling in with Reese as a full partner, and demands the full VIP treatment traditionally given to Reese and his cowboys. We see the two enjoying their first bath in weeks in adjoining tubs, when Harris spots a cockroach on the wall and blasts it to bits with his 6 shooter beside the tub, in mimicry of Reese when Harris was a hotel clerk. The message is that Harris has arrived as a gunslinger as well as a trail cowboy and trail boss.Anna Kashfi plays the diminished female lead role, as Maria Vidal, who is present in only a few scenes. While her wealthy Mexican family has been spending an extended stay in the hotel, she and Harris have developed a secret romantic relationship. But, her father has already decided who she will marry, which excludes Harris. Reese buys Vidal's cattle herd in Mexico, just across the Rio Grande, to be driven to Wichita, then by rail to Chicago. When Harris again meets the family in Mexico, he learns that Maria has been married. However, she secretly arranges to meet him in an isolated spot. He asks if she loves her husband. She doesn't answer , but kisses him instead, and they part forever. Actually, I fail to see the attraction in Maria. She seems sullen all the time, probably because she doesn't like her father's choice of a husband, and is unwilling to run off with recent acquaintance Harris....Anna Kashfi was Marlon Brando's first wife, and the mother of Christian, later to be much in the news about his murder of his half sister's boyfriend. She later adopted her East Indian-sounding stage name to emphasize her(disputed) claimed part Indian heritage.The outdoor filming locations, mostly in Oklahoma and New Mexico, provide some rather scenic, often rugged, country, beautifully photographed. There are various events and conflicts along the trail and in Mexico to keep us entertained or on edge at times. One involves an attempt by a small Comanche party to steal a small group of cattle that have separated from the herd, and are being rounded up by Harris. Against the judgment of his second in command, Reese orders that the main herd be stampeded in this direction to scare off the Comanches and probably save Harris's life. Harris and Reese both kill a Comanche or two, but Reese is wounded. After the Comanches leave, Harris chastises Reese for risking scattering the whole herd, claiming he could have fought off the Comanches by himself. Furthermore, he says he will function as the de facto trail boss until Reese recovers from his wound. Reese is irate at these pronouncements. We have a potential "Red River" situation developing, as Reese is beginning to fear that Harris may have gained enough confidence to try to become the dominant partner. But, eventually, Reese becomes convinced that this is not Harris's agenda, and they end the film as mutually respecting buddies, after a harrowing mutual experience inside a railcar packed with cattle.Another highlight is the Mexican slip-the-ring-over-the-bull's-horn contest. Very dangerous, featuring Maria's husband in horseback and Reese on foot...The Mexican trumpet player seen or heard in the background several times is the world famous concert soloist Rafael MendezThe screenplay is based upon a real saga, as related in Frank Harris's "My Life and Loves". Long banned in various countries for its frequent sexual explicitness, only one of many chapters is devoted to the subject at hand. Harris was once a clerk in a Chicago hotel, did develop a romantic interest in the daughter of the rich Latin Vidal family staying there, and did join a trail drive headed by one Tom Reese.

Spikeopath Cowboy is directed by Delmer Daves and adapted to screenplay by Edmund H. North and Dalton Trumbo from Frank Harris' book My Reminiscences as a Cowboy. It stars Glenn Ford, Jack Lemmon, Víctor Manuel Mendoza, Anna Kashfi, Dick York, King Donovan, Brian Donlevy and Richard Jaeckel. Music is by George Duning and cinematography by Charles Lawton Junior.Based on Frank Harris' memoir, the story finds Lemmon as Harris, a Chicago hotel clerk who in an attempt to prove he is a man and impress the girl he loves, wrangles his way onto a cattle drive being led by rough and tough cowpoke Tom Reece (Ford). He soon finds that out there on the range, in amongst the dust, beef and perils of the west, that life is far from glamorous.Once you buy into Lemmon as a Western character, accepting his transference from utter greenhorn into a man of the drive, it really becomes a very good film. It's a sort of debunking of the cowpoke myths whilst playing out as a character study of two men, who are polar opposites, as they build an understanding and ultimately help each other to grow and learn. Along the way, from Chicago to the Rio Grande, there is fights, death, stampedes and tests of loyalties and manhood. The great Delmer Daves directs it without fuss or filler (how nice that the romantic arc is rightly a side issue and doesn't get in the way) and Lawton's photography brings the sprawling landscapes to life. Lead cast members are excellent, with Ford once again providing rich characterisation by way of layered acting, and Lemmon rises up to the challenge of genre work outside of what he would be known for. In support Donlevy is his usual excellent self, making what could have been a clichéd character (aging gunfighter wants to leave his past behind) interesting with emotional depth, and Mendoza as the Ramrod is good foil for Ford. There's some quibbles, such as Dick York hard to take seriously, Jaeckel and Strother Martin (uncredited) wasted and some of the humour doesn't come off. But this is a very enjoyable film, one that thrives on having some character depth and actually something worthy to say. 7.5/10

JLRMovieReviews Jack Lemmon, a hotel desk clerk, yearns for the life of a cowboy, listening to his pardners sing lonely prairie songs, with his horse by his side, and lazily lying under the stars, dreaming. Record abruptly stops. Glenn Ford says it's no picnic but can't talk him out of it. Their partnership started, because Jack had $3,800.00 savings to invest and Glenn wanted funds for gambling. Glenn took it. But of course. Money! But Glenn didn't know Jack! With him, came more than just another mouth to feed. From one escapade and scrape, they came to dislike each other intensely. Glenn Ford can get this expression, like he'd just as soon kill ya than look at ya. And Jack, who's not cast usually in westerns, gave right back to him. As you can tell, I liked this film very much. It didn't rose-color or make light of the lifestyle of the cowboy. Brian Donlevy, Dick York (Bewitched's Darrin #1), Richard Jaeckel, and Strother Martin give solid support. This film is very respectful of its subject matter and at the same time entertains with three-dimensional characters. Jack's character, Frank Harris, wrote the book, from which this film is based. The heart and wild spirit of the cowboy who roams and lives hard are all here in this film for you to find.

moonspinner55 An unusual change-of-pace for Jack Lemmon, excellent as always portraying a hotel clerk in Chicago who invests $3800 in a struggling cattleman's next herd; he hits the trail with the cowboys as a partner and tenderfoot, though rough-hewn cattle-boss Glenn Ford has his doubts. Frank Harris' autobiographical book "My Reminiscences as a Cowboy" becomes a forthright dramatic film about responsibility and endurance, with Lemmon going through the rigors of boot camp--with cowboy boots. Ford works surprisingly well with Lemmon, and when these two--at odds from the start--stare each other down under the cloudy open skies, the tension in their familiarity seems arrived at honestly. Delmer Daves directed, with little sentiment, and the supporting cast of salty old pros is solid. Refreshing for the genre, and exceptionally well-made. *** from ****